Açai Berry (Euterpe oleracea) Dietary Supplements: Variations in Anthocyanin and Flavonoid Concentrations,Phenolic Contents,and Antioxidant Properties

Plant Foods for Human Nutrition - Açai (Euterpe oleracea) is a palm plant that is native to South America and produces deep purple berry fruits. Despite açai’s popularity as a...     

Reduced Atmospheric Manganese in Montreal Following Removal of Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl (MMT)

Methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) was used between 1990 and 2003 as an antiknock agent and as an octane booster in Canadian unleaded gasoline. Its combustion leads to Mn emissions. The objective of this research was to examine the variations in atmospheric Mn in Montreal (Canada) from 2001 to 2007, covering the period prior (2001?C2003) to and following (2005?C2007) MMT use. Three sampling stations were selected because of their proximity to roads with widely differing and well-known traffic patterns. Filters from 2001 to 2007 were obtained from the Montreal Urban Community. The first sample of each month was selected, and Mn analysis was performed by neutron activation analysis. Total suspended particulates (TSP) was calculated by weighing the filters before and after dust collection. Results show a significant decrease of Mn over time at each station, whereas TSP decreased significantly in two stations. Comparing atmospheric Mn during and after the period of use of MMT 2001?C2003 vs 2005?C2007 showed a significant decrease at all stations. For TSP, only one station showed borderline significant decline between these two periods. Overall, between the two periods, Mn and TSP decreased by 39% and 17%, respectively. These data suggest that the combustion of MMT led to an increase of airborne Mn of approximately 22%. These findings should help in decision-making processes concerning the use of MMT in gasoline in other countries.     

Relationship between red wine grade and phenolics. 2. Tannin composition and size

Commercial red wines ( Vitis vinifera L. cv. Shiraz) produced during the 2009 vintage underwent winemaker assessment for allocation grade soon after production. The wines were then subjected to phenolic analysis to measure wine color (total anthocyanin, SO(2) nonbleachable pigment, and wine color density) and tannins (concentration, composition, and average degree of polymerization). A positive relationship was found between wine phenolic concentration and projected bottle price. Tannin compositional analysis suggested that there was specifically a relationship between wine grade and skin-derived tannins. These results suggest that maximization of skin tannin concentration and/or proportion is related to an increase in projected wine bottle price.     

EFFECT OF DELAYED EMERGENCE ON CORN (ZEA MAYS L.) GRAIN YIELD

Uneven crop stands result in a reduction in corn yield production. This study was conducted to determine the effect of delayed emergence on corn yields and the effect of nitrogen (N) applications to compensate for yield reductions. The design used was a randomized complete block, with 4 sequences of delayed planting (0,4,7,and 10 days after planting) and 3 rates of nitrogen fertilizer (0, 40, 80 kg N ha^?1). At maturity, individual plants were tagged in sets of three and hand harvested. Corn ears were shelled, and yield per plant calculated. Grain yield of the delayed plant compared to that of the neighbors was reduced by 27, 8, 20 and 12 kg ha^?1day^?1 for 2007 LCB1, 2007 LCB2, 2010 LCB1 and 2010 LCB2, respectively. Over locations and years, the mean grain yield decrease of the delayed plant versus neighboring plants for each day delay was 122 kg ha^?1.     

Compositional investigation of phenolic polymers isolated from Vitis vinifera L. Cv. Pinot Noir during fermentation

Phenolic polymer material extracted during commercial red wine fermentations (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot noir) was isolated and analyzed to characterize its chemical composition. Phenolic polymer isolates were prepared from samples taken throughout fermentation and isolated by adsorption chromatography. Isolates were subjected to phloroglucinolysis to analyze the proanthocyanidin amount as well as the subunit composition. Results of phloroglucinolysis revealed that the proanthocyanidin content of individual phenolic polymer isolates varied from 27 to 54%. Subsequent analyses were done in an attempt to quantify materials other than known proanthocyanidin subunits. Results of all experiments indicate that up to 82% of the phenolic polymer isolates could be accounted for by mass. While this figure accounts for a significant portion of the polymeric phenolic material, further investigation will be needed to qualify the remaining 18%.     

Effect of Protein Source and Concentration on Somatic Growth of Juvenile Green Sea Urchins Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis

Abstract— An important aspect in the development of any aquaculture industry is the maximization of juvenile somatic growth (i.e., body growth) to reduce production time and increase the size of the final product. In this study, green sea urchins Strongylocentrotus clroebachiensis were fed a prepared diet from 4 December 1998 to 10 September 1999 (i.e., 280 d) in a laboratory to investigate the effect of protein source (soybean andlor fish), protein concentration (20,30,40, and 50% dry mass) and juvenile size (4‐8 mm and 12‐20 mm initial test diameter) on somatic growth. A natural diet of Laminwia longicrurus (i.e., kelp) was used as a reference. There was no difference in initial size among the treatments for either the smaller cohort 1 or the larger cohort 2 sea urchins (6.3 mm and 13.8 mm initial average test diameter, respectively) (P > 0.05 for all tests). After 280 d, the sea urchins fed kelp had an average size of 20.7 mm and 24.5 mm (cohort 1 and cohort 2, respectively). The final average sizes of the sea urchins fed the prepared diets, which did not relate to dietary protein concentrations andlor protein source, ranged from 13.2 mm to 16.2 mm (cohort 1) and from 20.4 mm to 22.9 mm (cohort 2), and were significantly smaller than the kelpfed sea urchins (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, cohort 1 and cohort 2, respectively). All treatments experienced 95% survivorship or greater. Sea urchin size appears to affect growth rate when optimal conditions for growth are available (i.e., diet and water temperature). As water temperatures increased during the summer of 1999, the sea urchins in cohort 1 fed kelp had a significantly higher growth rate (0.069 dd) than the cohort 2 kelpfed sea urchins (0.052 dd) (P < 0.05). However, within each cohort, there were no significant difference in growth rate (P > 0.05) among the sea urchins fed prepared diets, suggesting sea urchins do not require high concentrations of dietary protein for superior growth, and that plant protein can substitute fish protein in sea urchin diets. Furthermore, the sea urchins fed the prepared diets had poorer test quality and larger gonad yields (13‐22%) compared to the kelpfed sea urchins (4.2%) and a wild sample of sea urchins of similar size (4.0%). The results suggest that the sea urchins fed the prepared diets allocated more energy to gonad production, whereas those fed a natural diet allocated more energy toward test production. To address this gap, more research is required to identify the nutritional components required for test growth that were present in kelp, but appeared to be deficient in the prepared diets.